【Skill Level Up! Redemption Strike Lv. 2 → Lv. 3!】
【Skill effect enhanced! Mana consumption increased accordingly!】
【Concussive Field Lv. 2 → Lv. 3!】
【Skill effect enhanced! Mana consumption increased accordingly!】
【Healing Ascent Lv. 1 → Lv. 2!】
A warm surge of power welled up from deep within his body, flowing slowly through his blood vessels as his HP and mana both climbed slightly.
【HP: 1310/1310 → 1350/1350】
【Mana: 590/590 → 600/600】
【Practitioner basic attributes slightly enhanced!】
Bai Xuan stretched his body, clearly feeling that the power inside him had become a bit more solid.
Over the next few days, the battles never ceased.
The sharp claws of Shadowmane Wolves tore through the air, and the vines of Thorn Vine Monsters coiled tightly.
After one slaughter after another, the Magic Cores were carefully gathered into pouches, and fresh chunks of meat were wrapped in large leaves to be brought back to the stone house together.
Every evening, Phoebe would busily cook soup at the hearth.
Bai Xuan would sit on the threshold wiping down his staff, watching the "stars" on the cavern ceiling light up one by one.
The days repeated in this manner, yet they did not feel monotonous; though there were few words between them, they never felt lonely.
Until one evening, when Bai Xuan and Phoebe returned from hunting outside the barrier.
They had hunted quite a few Shadowmane Wolves, their Magic Cores already stowed away, and the meat cut into small pieces and wrapped neatly in leaves.
Phoebe was still simmering the soup by the hearth, while Bai Xuan sat on the threshold, meticulously wiping down the Staff of Guidance.
The light from the cavern ceiling was slowly shifting from grayish-blue to a deep blue as night quietly descended.
Right then, a wolf's howl suddenly reached his ears.
The sound came from very close outside the barrier, pressed extremely low, unlike the howl of an ordinary Shadowmane Wolf.
It sounded as if some creature was deliberately gathering its strength before letting out a sudden, explosive burst.
Bai Xuan's heart tightened, and his hand instantly gripped his staff.
Phoebe also stopped what she was doing, turning her head to look toward the direction outside the barrier.
Immediately after, a second, third, and fourth howl rang out in succession, each coming from a different direction.
They did not sound at the same time, but rather one after another, like someone calling roll in the dark, carrying an indescribable eeriness.
Bai Xuan stood up, walked quickly to the edge of the yard, and peered out through the invisible barrier.
At first, the thick fog obscured everything, and nothing could be seen.
After a moment, pairs of dark red eyes gradually lit up in the fog, hovering low above the ground like floating wisps of ghost fire.
One, two, five, ten...
Those were not scattered Shadowmane Wolves, but an entire pack of wolves!
The most conspicuous one stood at the very back of the pack, its body actually taller than the roof of the stone house.
The Blackmane Wolf King, a Level 10 magical beast.
Its mane was dark gold, resembling an unquenchable flame amidst the fog.
Its eyes were not the dark red of ordinary wolves, but a deep crimson-black, like coagulated blood.
From beginning to end, it did not let out a single howl, simply standing there silently, its gaze fixed on the two inside the barrier.
Bai Xuan noticed a pool of dark liquid by its feet, blurry and indistinct—perhaps blood, or perhaps something else.
The wolf pack slowly fanned out outside the barrier, surrounding the entire yard in a semicircle.
They did not howl, nor did they launch an attack; they simply stood quietly.
Occasionally, a wolf would lower its head to lick its paws, only to immediately look back up and stare inside the barrier.
This silent confrontation was far more suffocating than any tempestuous roaring.
Cold sweat slowly seeped from the palm Bai Xuan used to hold his staff.
Phoebe silently walked over to his side, dragging the Rock-Crushing Mountain, and softly uttered two words.
“Danger.”
Bai Xuan nodded slowly, the unease in his heart growing stronger.
“They can't get in,” he said, his tone calm, speaking both to Phoebe and to reassure himself.
But he knew very well in his heart that he was not entirely certain.
Whether the barrier could withstand repeated attacks from the wolf pack, he did not know; he simply did not want Phoebe to see his panic.
That night, Bai Xuan and Phoebe decided to take turns keeping watch.
Bai Xuan kept watch for the first half of the night, while Phoebe took the second half.
Bai Xuan kept a close eye on the wolf pack outside the barrier, noticing several young wolves attempting to ram the ward from different directions.
With every impact, the barrier would flicker slightly, like ripples on the surface of water.
The flickering was extremely faint, but it did not escape Bai Xuan's eyes.
He lightly tapped his fingers on his staff, silently noting down the frequency and locations of the barrier's flickers.
Meanwhile, the Blackmane Wolf King remained completely motionless, only occasionally raising its head to sweep its crimson-black eyes back and forth between Bai Xuan and Phoebe.
Bai Xuan could feel that perhaps it was not waiting, but memorizing.
Memorizing their appearances, memorizing the barrier's weak points.
The light from the cavern ceiling shifted from deep blue to grayish-blue, and then gradually from grayish-blue to light gray; dawn was approaching.
The wolf pack outside the barrier began to pace back and forth, and a few had already lain down on the ground, though their ears remained perked high, watchfully staring into the yard.
The Blackmane Wolf King still made no move.
Only when the light from the cavern ceiling fully brightened did it slowly turn around, walking step by step into the thick fog.
The rest of the wolves followed close behind, disappearing one by one into the depths of the forest.
Bai Xuan stood in place leaning on the Staff of Guidance, his legs having long since gone numb.
Phoebe sat on the steps with her axe resting on her knees, her silver hair damp with night dew and clinging tightly to the sides of her face.
She glanced at Bai Xuan and said succinctly, “Rest.”
Bai Xuan shook his head. “You sleep first. I'm not tired yet.”
Phoebe did not argue, standing up and walking into the house, pulling a blanket over herself.
Bai Xuan sat on the threshold, staring out at the forest that was gradually being swallowed by the fog outside the barrier.
The stone crest clutched in his hand had long since been warmed by his body heat.
Over the next few days, Bai Xuan only took Phoebe to move along the edge of the barrier, no longer venturing deep into the forest, solely to carefully observe the wolf pack's behavioral patterns.
Yet the wolf pack seemed to have vanished into thin air, and even the Shadowmane Wolves commonly seen on ordinary days had become much scarcer.
It was not until the third day that Bai Xuan discovered a deep claw mark on the largest tree near the edge of the barrier.
Three claw marks ran from top to bottom, tearing the bark to shreds, the height of the claw marks exactly level with the top of his head.
Dry blood still clung to the edges of the claw marks, clearly not belonging to a wolf.
Scattered around the roots of the tree were some remains of smaller monsters, with only leftover bones and fur remaining.
Bai Xuan squatted down, picking up a bone to inspect it closely; bite marks from sharp teeth were clearly visible at the fracture.
“It's staking its claim,” Bai Xuan said in a low, solemn voice.
Phoebe stood behind him, lowering the axe from her shoulder, and softly said, “It... remembers.”
Bai Xuan understood; she meant that the Blackmane Wolf King had already remembered them.
He nodded slowly, his vigilance growing even stronger.
Phoebe squatted down, reaching out a finger to gently touch the claw marks, her fingertip staining with a bit of dried blood.
She peered closely at it and shook her head. “Not... human.”
“Human?” Bai Xuan's heart stirred, and he quickly pressed for details.
Rate on N.U.
